thanks for staying on top of it all. >> exactly 40 years ago tomorrow, president obama traveled to elkhart, indiana, to sell his economic stimulus plan. at the time the manufacturing industry had collapsed and nearly one in five people were out of work. the president vowed to carry those stories with him. >> i promised you back then that if elected i would do everything i could to help this community recover, and that's why i came back today, because i intend to keep my promise. >> because of that promise, nbcnews.com began a series called the elkhart project, tracking their progress. chuck todd checked in with the president. >> reporter: let me show you the front page of the elkhart truth. clearly your presidency now and hoit's playing in elkhart and they believe your fortunes. is that fair? >> absolutely f. i'm successful i'll be able to look back and say elkhart has not just come back from the brink but is poised to move forward in the 21st century. >> the elkhart truth. a great newspaper name. fast forward to today. the president can deliver his state of the union address tuesday. elkh